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'50s and '60s Dance Parties Grooving into Forest Hills Banquet Hall

By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska | February 12, 2013 7:06am | Updated on February 12, 2013 5:12pm

QUEENS — Beatles fans have a new reason to twist and shout.

My Kitchen, a restaurant and banquet hall on Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills, is planning dance parties celebrating the music of the '50s and '60s.

“There are not a lot of places here where you can go, dance and have dinner,” said Dhanny Palma, who took over the space with her husband last November and added a restaurant to the existing banquet hall, which has been hosting weddings and baby showers for years.

During a New Year's Eve party, a group of guests suggested that the neighborhood needed a place that had dance parties with music from that era, Palma said.

“We spoke to the DJ and he said he’s got the music,” said Palma, whose husband, Giuseppe, who has worked in the catering industry for years, is the restaurant's chef.

Palma said they are planning other dance events as well, including hits from the '80s.

The first '50s and '60s party is planned for March 19. The space is also getting ready for a luau buffet with live music on March 1.

“We want Forest Hills people to get dressed up in Hawaiian costumes and we’ll do a buffet with a roasted pig,” Palma said.

The restaurant, which opened recently, is also planning to have menu themes for holidays, including Chinese dishes for Chinese New Year and Jambalaya for Mardi Gras.

On a daily basis, the eatery serves eclectic food, from teriyaki marinated tofu and grilled aged boneless New York strip steak to spaghetti carbonara and Maryland-style crab cakes.

“There is a little bit of everything,” Palma said. “We just picked items that we like to eat.”

Palma said she is also hoping to organize cooking classes and wine tastings in the future.

My Kitchen is located at 106-17 Metropolitan Ave. in Forest Hills. Those interested in participating in dance parties have to make reservations in advance (the restaurant will be closed to the public).